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worldnews spn AUG 2010 WorldNews
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
Iceland proves the benefIts of chIldren swImmIng very early
Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor of
psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) together with Brian Hopkins, a professor of psychology from Lancaster University,
conducted the research in
Sigmundsson’s home country of Iceland. The study involved comparing 19 baby swimmers against a control group of 19 children who had not participated in baby swimming. The only factor that separated baby swimmers from the control group was swimming. The baby swimmers had participated in
Iceland is not the first country you think of for swimming research. However, a new study conducted there has shown that beginning swimming at the earliest possible age improves motor skills not only in water-based activities, but also in land-based activities.
swimming classes for two hours a week from the age of two-three months until they were about seven months old. A typical session might involve helping the baby do a somersault on a floating mat, having the baby dive under water, jump from the pool edge, and balance on the hand of a parent while reaching to pick up floating objects. At approximately age five, both baby swimmers
and the control group were tested with similar exercises. The exercises included walking on tiptoes, balancing on one foot, skipping rope,
TRUE COSTS OF NEW DRAIN COVERS STARTS TO HIT HOME
Pool owners throughout the United States are only just beginning to get the true picture on how much it will cost to get new legally efficient drains fitted on their pools. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was passed by the US Congress in 2007 and became effective in December 2008. The new regulations involve fitting special covers on pool drains and spa drains.
In some cases,
complying with the law entails repositioning pool drains so they are far enough apart not to trap a swimmer’s hair or body in the suction the drains create. The law’s drain and cover requirements apply to all pools and
spas generally open to the public; pools open exclusively to residents of
apartments, multi-family
residential areas; pools open to guests of a hotel and government pool facilities. The average new grate covers
cost several hundred dollars each. Replacing drain systems that do
not meet federal guidelines is another matter. Estimates
run as high as
US$15,000 per drain to retrofit pools to make them comply with the law. Inspections for pool compliance
are conducted by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
rolling a ball into a goal and catching a beanbag. “We saw very clearly that baby swimmers were
the best in exercises that related to balance and the ability to reach for things,” says Sigmundsson. “Water is as important to Icelanders as snow is for Norwegians. A typical Icelander swims on average once or twice a week, and there is a great deal of interest in baby swimming. I know an instructor who has been teaching baby swimming for 20 years. He had a great deal of information about children who have participated in swimming courses. So it was natural for us to conduct the study in Iceland.” Sigmundsson says he was overwhelmed by what
the instructor was able to get the babies to do. “The instructor was able to bring three-month-old babies right up to a balanced position, standing on his palm. The babies locked joints – it was amazing to watch.” Citation: Sigmundsson, H. and B. Hopkins. 2010.
Baby swimming: exploring the effects of early intervention on subsequent motor abilities, Child: Care Health and Development. 36:3, 428-430. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.00990.x
Simazine remainS on Sale in auStralia and Canada
Simazine is a controversial man-made chemical used as a herbicide which can persist in the soil and other environmental media for long periods of time. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has now granted continued registration of products containing simazine for sale and use in Canada. An evaluation of available scientific information found that products
containing simazine do not present unacceptable risks to human health or the environment when used according to label directions. As a condition of the continued registration of simazine uses, new risk-reduction measures must be included on the labels of all products. The UK ban on simazine use in non-agricultural situations came into force
on 31 August 1993. But simazine products are registered in other parts of the world including Australia, where there are 10 different registrants for the control of algae in pools, aquariums and ponds. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is in
the process of undertaking a review into simazine, and is due to publish a scope report shortly. The APVMA has stated it does not believe that the use of simazine products
as algaecides in swimming pools presents any significant health risk; but the question will be formally considered in the context of the forthcoming review.
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